McGregor stays atop Times UFC rankings

He hasn’t fought since November, but Conor McGregor’s value was underscored before thousands earlier this month as part of the promotional tour for the novelty boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The UFC lightweight champion faces a huge challenge in his pro boxing debut against the 49-0 Mayweather. He earned the shot by shining in stand-up fights in the UFC, knocking out long-reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo, then repeatedly dropping then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to win that belt at Madison Square Garden.

It made McGregor the UFC’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion. Since then no fighter has accomplished more or drawn anywhere near the attention, which keeps McGregor atop The Times’ top-10 list of UFC fighters.

1: Conor McGregor, Ireland, 21-3, lightweight champion

His charisma and edge shined in out-working Mayweather on the tour as the pair head to their lucrative $100 pay-per-view fight. McGregor sparred this week with pure boxer Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas, and UFC fans are keeping him a respectable 5/1 underdog at the sports book.

Next fight: Aug. 26 (boxing) vs. Mayweather at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. If healthy afterward, McGregor could fight again on the UFC’s Dec. 30 card in Las Vegas.

2: Daniel Cormier, San Jose,19-1, light-heavyweight champion

The replacement champion for troubled Jon Jones is braced to finally learn Saturday night if he’s surpassed Jones following his loss to “Bones” on Jan. 3, 2015. Cormier’s wrestling skill has impressed while Jones has been stripped of his belt, then later suspended.

Next fight: Saturday in the UFC 214 main event versus former champion Jones at Honda Center.

3: Stipe Miocic, Cleveland, 17-2, heavyweight champion

Due to the power of heavyweight punches, no man has successfully defended the heavyweight belt three times, which Miocic will have the opportunity to do in his next bout. The part-time fireman enhanced his standing with his first-round knockout of former champion Junior Dos Santos in May.

Next fight: Not final, but expected to be a rematch with former champion Alistair Overeem by the year’s end unless fifth-ranked Francis Ngannou dominates Dos Santos on Sept. 9.

4: Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Poland, 14-0, women’s straw-weight champion

Proved her resilience by volunteering to challenge No. 1-rated bantamweight Valentina Shevchenko on July 8 when champion Amanda Nunes fell ill on fight day.

Next fight: She wants another title defense in New York on the Nov. 4 card at Madison Square Garden, with third-rated Rose Namajunas the likely opponent.

5: Demetrious Johnson, Parkland, Wash., 26-2-1, flyweight champion

The UFC lists him as its No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and Johnson can pass Anderson Silva with his 11th consecutive successful title defense Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Canada. But his preference of No. 3 flyweight Ray Borg rather than former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw raised UFC President Dana White’s ire.

Next fight: Sept. 9 vs. Borg in Edmonton, a pay-per-view main event at UFC 215.

6: Max Holloway, Hawaii, 18-3, featherweight champion

His 10th consecutive victory revealed the grit of Holloway, who craves the idea of a rematch with the last man who defeated him, McGregor.

Next fight: Not scheduled yet, but believed to be Nov. 4 at MSG against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

7: Cody Garbrandt, Sacramento, 11-0, bantamweight champion

Sidelined by a back injury, Garbrandt told reporters while attending UFC 213 on July 8 that the “earliest” he could return is Nov. 4. His absence comes at an unfortunate time considering the rise of interest he gained by overwhelming former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in December.

Next fight: After coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter” against Dillashaw, Garbrandt will meet his former Team Alpha Male stablemate.

8: Tyron Woodley, St. Louis, 17-3-1, welterweight champion

Woodley’s operating Saturday behind the attention thrust on the Cormier-Jones rematch, but he learned Wednesday that if he wins, he’ll have a marquee date against popular former long-reigning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Next fight: Saturday at UFC 214 at Honda Center against former middleweight title challenger Demian Maia of Brazil. Maia (25-6) has won seven consecutive fights.

9: Jon Jones, Rochester, N.Y., 22-1, light-heavyweight

Finally off his year-long suspension for a performance-enhancing substance, Jones has a chance to reunite with the belt he successfully defended eight times and shoot back toward his previous No. 1 pound-for-pound spot against Cormier.

Next fight: UFC 214 main event Saturday against light-heavyweight champion Cormier at Honda Center.

10: Amanda Nunes, 14-4, Brazil, women’s bantamweight champion

She did herself no favors by pulling out of UFC 213 earlier this month with sinus and abdominal discomfort, which diminished the typical marquee card and angered White. He said he would keep her out of main events, which he did in September.

Next fight: Rematch against Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) in the co-main event of UFC 215 Sept. 9 in Edmonton.

Others: 11. Michael Bisping, middleweight champion; 12. Robert Whittaker, middleweight; 13. Dominick Cruz, bantamweight; 14. Tony Ferguson, lightweight; 15. Khabib Nurmagomedov, lightweight.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire